A mom shares lessons learned as she juggles her family and career….

Okay moms of school-age children – I don’t know about you, but in my household, homework time is fraught with moans, groans, whining, meltdowns, and repetitive phrases of “this is so hard.” They barely have their assignments out of their folders and the grumbling has already begun. As a mom I want to be supportive, loving, empathetic and patient with them – but their incessant complaining wears me thin while their escalating indifference makes me want to pull my hair out.

In particular I am really struggling with my older son. He has some borderline attention issues that I am on top of, and while they are certainly impacting homework time, I have yet to determine if they are resulting in any comprehension issues. I had his comprehension abilities tested a few years ago and there were no issues identified. I freely admit that I was surprised at those results and would’ve bet that there was some problem with his comprehension ability – but there was not. Yet he struggles so with reading comprehension that it sends both our frustration levels over the top, which certainly doesn’t make for an ideal homework environment.

Then of course there is the homework itself. I still have yet to wrap my brain around what my children are learning – or rather the method by which they are learning. While it seems we might finally be steering away from some of the common core curriculum (thank god) – I worry that the demands to keep up with the set pace of the district has in fact put my children at a disadvantage. I could care less that certain topics much be broached within certain time frames if it means my children aren’t fully grasping one topic before moving on to another.

I worry that my children’s attitudes towards homework will create a lasting negative impact on their desire to learn. I worry that my older son will self-defeat himself before he even tries out of fear that he cannot do it when he really can. I worry that as a mom I am failing my children by getting frustrated with them because of the drama that is homework time. If only this were easier. I wish I had some answers – some way to make this better for my children. I wish I could help them overcome their struggles. I wish I had more patience with their frustrations instead of making them my own….

If only homework time came with alcohol…lots and lots of alcohol. While I am not a big proponent of drinking by any means, and I am certainly not meaning to promote it’s consumption- if your a mom you understand where I’m coming from. Sometimes we just need to take the edge off and this just might do the trick.

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Jen

I am a mom to three awesome kids. They are my pride and joy, even when they manage to push my sanity to and often over the proverbial edge. They are my greatest achievements and I love watching them grow and come into their own selves. While I am married, ours is a blended family which is not without its challenges and stressors. It's that whole yours, mine and ours concept... A few years ago I went back to work full-time as a nurse. I love what I do, and I would like to think that after all this time I am very good at my job. Connecting with people at their most vulnerable and helping them heal, brings me a sense of purpose and gives meaning to what I do.
I secretly have always had a passion for writing. When I started this blog I did so as a way to be able to express myself through my words; and hopefully inspire others through my life experiences as both a mom and a nurse. To be able to adequately convey just the right amount of my life experience, mixed with a little bit of humor, some impassioned views, some heartfelt emotion, and of course lessons learned, and in turn inspire others would be an awesome experience and privilege.
Making sense out of chaos, finding silence amongst the noise, and locating solace during turmoil....its my blog that I am hoping will be my beacon and offer me light on my path.